La Primitiva Spanish Lotto

THE SPANISH LA PRIMITIVA LOTTO

La Primitiva, or “The primitive one” as a direct translation, is literally one of the oldest lottery games in existence today. With a draw date as far back as the late 1700’s, this lottery truly lives up to its aged name. The modern version of the game was introduced in 1985 and has been popular ever since.

The La Primitiva game follows the classic 6/49 lottery game format, albeit with a slight twist in its prize structure – in the form of the Reintegro number. To play the La Primitiva lottery, a player will select six numbers from a possible 49. During the draw process, eight numbers will be drawn at random – six numbers plus a Bonus ball, sometimes also referred to as the complimentary ball. In addition to these seven balls drawn, an additional 8th ball (with a number between 0-9) known as the Reintegro (“refund”) number is also drawn. Should a player match all six of the winning numbers drawn, plus the Reintegro number then they stand eligible to take home the top prize, which includes the jackpot value plus an additional sum.

It is important to note that the Reintegro number is not chosen by you, it is randomly assigned by the Spanish National Lottery organizers after your entry has been validated on their system. Your initial entry confirmation may not include your Reintegro number; please allow at least 24 hours of receipt of your number either via email on in your online account, once the draw your particular ticket is entered into becomes the next draw on our system.

This information will be especially relevant if you have purchased tickets in advance for future draws, as you will only receive your Reintegro number for each ticket purchased once the draw it’s entered into becomes the next available draw. The prize structure for the game is as below:

Numbers Matched

Prize Tier

6 balls + Reintegro number

Jackpot

6 balls

1st

5 balls + Bonus

2nd

5 balls

3rd

4 balls

4th

3 balls

5th

Reintegro number

6th

The La Primitiva jackpot has a starting minimum of €3 million and has the ability to rollover multiple times until the top prize is won. The biggest prizes won on La Primitiva include €25 million in 2005 and €26 million in 2007. The 2013 rollover run from March to August amounted to a whopping €66.6 million! In 2014 an even bigger jackpot record was set with a €72 million La Primitiva win. New legislation has been passed by the Spanish government, which states that a 20% government tax will be levied on all lottery winnings exceeding €2,500.

The La Primitiva draws take place twice a week; every Thursday and Saturday, and are held in Madrid, Spain at the official lottery draw studios of Loterias y Apuestas del Estado.